Election-Rigging Bill to Get First Reading Today

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019–Raleigh–House Bill 648, called the “NC FAIR State & Congressional Districts Act,” faces first reading today and, if enacted into law, would shift the Legislature’s redistricting duties over to unelected, unaccountable officials and even a court-appointed “Special Master,” according to a recent Voter Integrity Project tweet. The group cautions against such legislation, citing the lessons learned when California created “non-partisan” redistricting commissions that were immediately targeted by well-funded Leftist groups, resulting in an incumbents-only Legislature that’s more entrenched than ever.

While the United States Congress shows around a 90 percent incumbent reelection rate, California politicians enjoyed a 92 percent Assemblymember and a 100 percent Senate reelection rate, according to a California Research Bureau study.

“If overturning incumbent seats is the noble goal of this misguided venture, history proves it to be an epic failure,” said Jay DeLancy, Director of the Voter Integrity Project. “Ultimately, any unelected commissions get targeted by well-funded interests groups and the entire process is corrupted by money and power.”

The sponsors of House Bill 648 sell the “non-partisan” concept by promising that the Commission will avoid considerations of political affiliations, previous election results, the addresses of incumbents, and other information that would identify voting tendencies.

“While all of the supposed restrictions seem noble, the only recourse for abuses would involve costly litigation,” said DeLancy, “meaning that only the most powerful money interests will have any influence on our electoral process.”

Common to such legislation a “Special Master,” who is appointed by a judge, “to assist in or oversee the redistricting process due to the individual’s demonstrated experience in drawing districting maps, redistricting parameters, and
redistricting law,” according to (page 1, lines 29-32) the legislation.

“This entire process reeks of elitism, and the public should decisively reject it,” said Delancy. “Given North Carolina’s recent history of activist judges who rig election districts and veto laws like voter ID simply because they can, we should run from this legislation like a scalded pig.”

“Redistricting Commissions come down to a fundamental flaw in human nature,” DeLancy said. “They assume that certain individuals have super powers that magically places them above the rest of us. This defies all of human history and that’s why we oppose this terrible idea.”